It is often necessary to place an implantable device within a body of a patient. For example, it may be necessary to place a stent within a body duct or blood vessel, a coil within a malformation such as an aneurysm, or a contraceptive device within a fallopian tube of a patient. It is possible that the implant may undesirably move or migrate after deployment of the device at the target location. To lessen the risk of such undesirable movement, mechanical fixation components and techniques, such as hooks or staples, may be employed to couple the device to patient tissue. In aneurysm treatment, intravascular stents have been used to block coils deployed within the aneurysm from migration out of the aneurysm.
Such mechanical fixation components and techniques have the disadvantage of increasing the risk that the patient tissue to which the fixation is made will be damaged. Hence, there is a need in the field for devices and methods for decreasing the risk of migration or movement of implantable devices that do not increase the risk of causing patient tissue damage.